Surely it’s bound to be cheap plonk, and gone after a couple of swigs anyway, unless you live in Hobbiton.

Well, think again – downsizing to halves has several advantages, and you’re often getting some fine vino.

On a recent visit to Tanners – a terrific independent wine merchant based in Shrewsbury with a spiffing new website – I was delighted by its range of half bottles of real quality.

And it got me wondering why we don’t see more of these, and which stockists have the best selection.

So, what are the benefits of the demi size?

For starters, convenience.

Wine is about enjoyment, and the half-bottle is perfect for a single person, or two people who want to enjoy different wines with different courses.

And while there are ways to store bottles for weeks at a time, such as Winesave (available at aroundwine.co.uk), with more and more restaurants serving wines in different-sized glasses as well as carafes, we’re becoming used to ordering the amount we want, tailored to the occasion.

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Lunchtime, for example, is a great moment for a half-bottle shared between two. And, of course, it’s a more portable size if you’re out and about for a picnic.

The full 75cl, on the other hand, can be daunting to some – and occasionally too expensive.

The half-bottle enables you to sample some rare and pricey vintages without splurging on the full-size version.

Wine Rules: No 25

Don’t be a snob about packaging! Of course there’s something special about a dusty old bottle plucked from the cellar, but as long as it arrives in perfect condition, I don’t mind how a wine is packaged. Hence I’m all for the new Tetra Paks launched recently in Waitrose. Grab Du Toitskloof Fairtrade Chenin Blanc 2012 at £4.99 for a crisp, zesty, good-value kitchen-table white.

Sherry and sweet wine have always been fantastic half-bottles, and such wines can be so rich that even at a dinner party, a small amount goes a long way. Sainsbury’s has some very good own-label sherry in its Taste the Difference range; try its Pedro Ximénez poured over vanilla ice cream.

And Majestic has a superb range of sweet wines in half-bottles, including reliably sweet Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora for £7.99 (£6.99 if you buy two), and delicious Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 2007 for £19.99 – outstanding with a slice of Cambozola.

Another advantage to half bottles, with regard to classic reds from, for instance, Bordeaux designed to age and soften for a few years before opening, is that they mature more rapidly than standard ones. (Similarly, if you buy larger bottles, your wine will develop its savoury complexity more slowly.)

Half-bottles offer a chance to get an early look at how fine wines will be in their peak of maturity.

Wine news

South African wines can now be awarded an ‘ethical seal’ which shows they’ve been produced according to a code of good practice, precluding the use of child labour and ensuring, among other things, that employment is freely chosen with all employees working in a safe, healthy environment. Wines from Robertson Winery, Fairview and Durbanville Hills are among the first to carry the seal; look out for it on forthcoming bottles.

So where can you hunt for them? The high-street supermarkets and wine retailers all carry them, but there’s also halfwine.com, a website dedicated entirely to half bottles – a rather natty niche.

It has a good range and a number of tailored offers to choose from, including tasting packs and a wine club.

If it’s prestigious wines you’re after, though, Harrods is the place to shop, with everything from its own-label Bourgogne Chardonnay at £6.95 right up to a half bottle of Château Lafite 2003, which will set you back £995 (the full-size bottle is £2,225).

My tip if you’re after a quality half-bottle of red Bordeaux is to go for Château d’Angludet 2009 at £13.50 – serious wine for a Sunday lunch.

Corney & Barrow also has a classy hand-picked selection, as does Berry Bros & Rudd, and I warmly recommend the Wine Society’s excellent range, including its own-label ‘The Society’s’ kit.

I’d grab a half-bottle of Samos Anthemis 2005 at £6.95 – incredibly delicious sweet wine from Greece that’s great with blue cheeses and a treat in its own right.

With big-flavoured offerings like these available, it’s well worth considering doing wine by halves.

Will you see Olly at Olympia?

The BBC Good Food Show London is at Olympia from November 9-11, with Olly’s solo show Cooking With Wine.

Live has four pairs of general admission and one pair of VIP tickets to give away for November 11.

Tickets include entry to the main show 9.30am-7pm and a seat in the Supertheatre for Olly’s session at 3:30pm.

Email
‘Cooking with Wine’ to live@ollysmith.com with your name and contact
details by midnight on Wednesday 24 and five winners will be selected at
random. Usual Mail on Sunday rules apply.